Author Archives: cookingwithcandi

Balsamic/Mustard Chicken

Balsamic Mustard Chicken in Marinade

I have been so busy flying back and forth from New York to Colorado, that I haven’t had time to say hello and post some more yummy recipes! I also want to say that i am working on posting photos, which i think will be super helpful  not to mention make this blog prettier . I think mid-week  posts are the best because most of you probably are looking for weekend meals, and then you can add to your personal recipe file and cook anytime.

This recipe has been a great go to chicken dish but needs to marinate overnight for best results! I don’t usually grill it, but if you do, I suggest that you first cook it in the oven for about 30 minutes, and then throw on grill just to get grill marks and BBQ flavor. It’s wonderful in the oven as well. Gravy from this is yummy and rice works perfectly with this too.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 average lemon) 

1 teaspoon lemon zest (first zest, then juice lemon)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (i like to salt and pepper right before I cook the chicken)

1 whole chicken cut up  (if you go to a butcher, ask him to cut the breasts in halves. if you are buying in a supermarket, the breasts will be rather large; you can cut it yourself if you have a good knife. if not, no biggie just cook it in eighths. But I prefer in ten pieces with breasts cut in half.)

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl to blend. Take a large baggie (I love Hefty ziplocks),  and put the chicken and vinaigrette in. Squish it all around and coat chicken and place in fridge. I prefer this marinate overnight , but you can do it in the morning for that night. Usually I do it the night before and it sits overnight and most of the next day.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Remove chicken from the bag and arrange it in a Pam-sprayed Pyrex type baking dish. Add your kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper now. Roast until the chicken is just cooked through (about 1 hour.) Look at chicken after about 45 minutes; if it is burning, cover with aluminum foil  for the remaining cooking time. Transfer chicken to your serving platter and cover with aluminum foil. Take Pyrex with gravy from pan drippings and put on burner of stove (or transfer to a smaller sauce pan). Whisk in the chicken broth (and this is when I add the lemon zest as well,)  scraping up all the brown bits as you go. (When you are de-glazing the pan, a wooden spoon works best.) When the gravy comes to a boil, you’re ready to spoon over your chicken.  If you plate it individually, put rice on the plate, then a piece(s) of chicken, and then spoon gravy on top. Or I just pour some gravy over the chicken on a platter and put it on the table. Then I put rice in a pretty bowl and put that on the table as well. That way, everyone can take their own.

If you want to BBQ the chicken , cook it first for about 30 minutes, then do gravy as above. Lemon slices look pretty on the platter with some chopped parsley but totally not necessary.

* roasted asparagus is perfect on side

*I love Near East brand of Rice Pilaf in a box (Original) when I don’t feel like fussing with rice. Almost always comes out perfectly if you follow instructions.

 

 

Summer Crumble aka Berry Crumble

Berry Crumble Filling

Here we are in Summer thankfully! and you’re looking for a dessert in which you can use what’s fresh and available. Check out those beautiful blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries out there! they can be bought in large quantities and they are delish right out of the box, but even more so when cooked up this way. I’ve played with this recipe forever, and have been asked for it numerous times. So here it is in all it’s worked over glory for you to enjoy! what’s even better is that you can prepare this when you have the berries and the time, freeze it and you have this wonderful crumble to serve when you need a dessert!  it is awesome served with vanilla ice cream or yogurt!  serve hot or warm .

Ingredients:

filling:

8 cups mixed fresh berries (if you prefer blueberries alone, that’s fine. I use blue, black, straw, and raspberries , whatever looks good to me that day)

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca (this is optional but I must tell you that it is sort of the secret ingredient. It prevents the filling from getting runny)

crumble topping:

 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss berries with tapioca (if you ar using it,) sugar and lemon zest. Set aside.

Topping:

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, spices and salt. Stir in butter and nuts. Course crumbles will  begin to form. Pour berries into a 9-inch square or round pan. Using your fingers, form topping mixture into crumbs and spread over the filling. Bake until filling starts to bubble and topping is a light golden brown, approx. 55 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

I usually put this in when we sit down for dinner. It smells divine, and it is ready to eat when we are ready for dessert. Something else I do is cook it for about 30 minutes before freezing, this will set it. I take it out of the freezer the morning of the night we’ll be eating it. I then cook it for another 25 minutes or so right before I’m serving it.

Enjoy!

DELISH BOLOGNESE (REAL DEAL)

Forget engagement chicken. This is the dish to make if you’re really interested in getting engaged!  I know there is a whole lotta hoopla out there about making a roast chicken and getting an engagment ring out of the meal but I will tell you that this should really be called “The Engagement Bolognese Sauce” because it is that good; and everyone who eats it falls in love with it. Well…almost. You just have to be a meat lover and a pasta lover. Then, surely, this will work. Try it and let me know. What have you got to lose? This is my perfect Sunday night dinner. It’s pure comfort food. So, even if you’re not looking to get engaged, are already married, or just want a wonderful meat sauce to make…Serve with a green salad with my vinaigrette dressing, a nice crusty bread and you’re set. You can always make my chocolate cherry cookies as an add on bonus. Have a great meal!

(Original inspiration from Mario Batali)

Delish bolognese 

Ingredients: 

1/4 CUP OLIVE OIL

1 MEDIUM SIZE CARROT DICED

1 MEDIUM CELERY RIB DICED

1 MEDIUM ONION DICED (SPANISH ONION)

1 GARLIC CLOVE, THINLY SLICED

4 OZ. PANCETTA,  DICED (I USUALLY CAN FIND A 4 OZ. PKG. IN THE SUPERMARKET ALREADY DICED AND IT WORKS JUST FINE.)

1 LB. GROUND BEEF (NOT THE SUPER LEAN ONE, THE 85/15 IS BEST FOR THIS B/C YOU WANT THE FAT)

1/4 CUP TOMATO PASTE (Why I love the tubes of tomato paste)

1 cup milk  (not skim, whole or at least 2 percent)

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup water

salt and freshly ground black pepper

red pepper flakes

fresh parmagiano or pecorino cheese, grated

1 box (1 pound)  gemelli  or fusilli type pasta

I use my Le Creuset large cast iron casserole.

Heat the olive oil on a medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Continue to cook this stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned (you may need to lower heat). Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the pancetta to pot and crisp it up a bit, then add the ground beef breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until the beef is no longer pink; about 10 minutes . Add the tomato paste and stir it in over a low heat. It will get a shiny look to it, and a deep rust color. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the milk, white wine and water and simmer over a low heat, stirring sauce occasionally. It will get thick and saucy looking. I cook it for another 1 1/2 hours. Taste for salt and pepper here.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 1 box of pasta according to directions on box, until al dente. Drain pasta and add it to the sauce. Stir well and coat pasta.  Serve in nice pasta bowls, along with fresh cheese. I add a few red pepper flakes but I like it hot. You can leave that on the table along with grated cheese for your guests.

Note: You can make sauce ahead and refrigerate for up to 3 days. I have frozen it as well.

This is super yummy, and I believe this is the go to engagement dish.

*serves 8 as a small side dish and 4 as a meal

Cherry Chocolate Cookies

Cherry Chocolate Cookies

Cherry Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are a-mazing! They never fail me. They always crowd please. And i don’t remember where this recipe hails from, so please forgive me for not giving credit 🙂 These are really from my vault and they’re really delish, especially dipped in milk. I must freeze them after my guests leave or else I find myself in the kitchen dunking which I haven’t done since I’m a kid. So enjoy!!!

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened…yikes!)

3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp vanilla extract (use a good one)

2 large eggs (at room temperature, don’t ever use cold eggs right out of fridge for baking unless otherwise stated)

4 cups unsweetened chocolate morsels

1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped (I love nuts, but obv. optional)

1 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a medium to large bowl mix together flour , baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer for this but you can use electric hand beater), beat the butter, sugars and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until it is well blended, and then add eggs (one at a time). When this is well incorporated, add the flour mixture a little at a time until well blended. By hand, stir in the chocolate morsels and cherries and nuts.

Using a spoon or small ice cream scooper (try to make sure you make uniform mounds, this will help in the cooking process) place mounds about 3″ apart from each other. You will probably need at least 2 cookie sheets. You can do it one cookie sheet at a time, it will just be a slower process. Now place cookie sheet in the fridge for about an hour. (This is why you need 2 large cookie sheets. Sometimes I even use 3 or 4. ) After dough has been in fridge for the hour, bake the cookies in preheated oven for 35 – 40* minutes ’til golden brown . Keep an eye on the cookies to make sure  they don’t burn.  Remember baking requires patience. Cool cookies on baking sheet, then transfer to racks. If you don’t have racks just let them cool, then place on a plate.

* sometimes they only cook for 25 – 30 minutes depending on the size of mounds. So please start watching them after 25 minutes. Recipe says 35 – 40 minutes. However I know that they bake quicker, at least in my oven they did. So I’m just saying…watch carefully , set your timer for 25 minutes and start watching.

Vegetables / Sides (super easy and fast)

Peppers on the Grill

grilled corn on the cob

Needing sides to go with a main dish? Here are a few perfect ideas that are very easy to execute. I always feel that more attention needs to be paid to the “main” dish but then I panic as to what to put with it, and you can’t devote so much time and effort to the sides. So here are a few of my “go to” ideas–quick, easy and yummy.

Corn on the Cob (Summer Style for the grill–sorry apartment dwellers with no grills)

This is so easy, because the corn is in season and you can shuck it in the supermarket. There is usually a large garbage can in the produce section for exactly this purpose. If not , you can buy it partially shucked, in the package.  It is a mess in the kitchen, so I always try to do it in supermarket.

I take a large bowl, put corn in the bowl (with cobs,) drizzle all the ears with a little olive oil and coat very lightly , and with clean washed hands (please) roll them around. Don’t overdo the olive oil; it’s really just to give it a light coat. Sprinkle a little kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (also very lightly) and then put the corn in a large baggie. You can leave these ’til you’re ready to cook, for as long as you’d like, nothing will happen.

When you’re ready, heat the grill (I usually start at a high temp, and then lower it to medium.) Put corn right on grill. All grills are a little different, so watch it carefully the first time and after a few minutes, roll it with tongs until the corn turns a golden yellow, with some brown/black spots and that’s what you want all over. I would say about 10-15 minutes; again depending on your grill. The corn will actually start popping on the grill. Don’t overdo it, you’ll know  it’s ready when it’s golden on all sides. Be careful with it.

Put on platter and you can cover with tin foil to keep warm, or just let it be at room temperature.

 Asparagus: 

Preheat oven to 350. 

This is another summer staple, and so yummy. Buy 2 asparagus bundles. Wash and snap off bottoms, or cut. I usually just line them up and cut the bottoms off, probably about 2 inches. If they’re thin, they need no trimming. If they’re rather thick, you can take a peeler to them, and just trim off sharp points. I prefer the skinny ones.

Take out a Pyrex, lay asparagus down in Pyrex. Drizzle some olive oil, and again with clean washed hands roll asparagus around to make sure they are covered with olive oil. Sprinkle with some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Pop them into oven for about 20 minutes, at which time, they should be cooked. Take them out and cover with aluminum foil and let them be until you’re ready to serve. This is served at room temp. and perfect. Also delish cold the next day in a salad.

Potatoes (sweet and regular white potatoes):

 I do these potatoes all year round, even when I grill b/c they cook in the oven, and I don’t have enough room for everything on the grill anyway. I buy small multi-colored potatoes in the produce section, usually available in a little net baggie. I love the purple, red, and yellow. I also love the fingerlings. Any of them will work. I’m not fond of the big fat Idaho Potatoes though. Also, sweet potatoes are amazing this way. Yukon Golds are delish too!

I cut up potatoes all the same small size. Take one small potato,  cut in 1/2 and then in 1/2 again.  The large sweet potatoes, cut in 1/2, and again and again, ’til you have smaller pieces (not too small; just forkful pieces,). Remember they should all be around the same size to ensure they all cook at the same speed.

I put into a sprayed (Pam) Pyrex,  drizzle olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix up with clean washed hands, and pop in 400 degree preheated oven for app. 45 minutes. About 1/2 way through just remove from oven and toss around with metal spatula or spoon. I like them crispy so maybe an hour. They’re sort of hard to kill but don’t overcook that much. Usually an hour is maximum.

Serve with ketchup or plain.

Baked curry sweet potato fries (Serves approx. four; approx. one potato per customer):

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large egg white

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

kosher salt to taste

3 or 4 large sweet potatoes , yams, orange flesh, peeled

Peel sweet potatoes  and slice off the top (I use a peeler to peel potatoes). Lay potato down and with a large knife, cut in 1/2 and then cut each halve into quarters. (8 pieces should be good from 1 Potato)

Add olive oil and toss. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk one egg while until foamy and frothy. Add curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and red pepper flakes, and mix all together. Pour the egg white mixture over the potato sticks and gently toss to coat. I do it all in this bowl.

Spread out potatoes on parchment paper baking sheet, and bake for about 40 minutes. Check on them  after 40 minutes for how crispy you like them.

Enjoy

Roasted Red and Yellow Peppers: On the Grill

This is the easiest  by far. Take whole sweet red, yellow, and orange peppers. I never use green (don’t love the flavor.) Cut off tops, clean out seeds , wash off peppers . Cut in half, no smaller because they will fall in grill.

Take pepper halves and put in plastic baggie, with some olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; coat peppers and leave for a bit to absorb. Do not go crazy with olive oil–just drizzle to coat. You want to taste pepper not oil.

Get grill hot, and place pepper halves directly on hot grill. Let cook until they actually char without really killing them (about 5- 6 minutes on each side.)  These are so delicious, and go great with steak, chicken and fish. They can be served at room temp. as well! And they’re awesome the next day cold from fridge.

Sweet and Spicy Nuts – Perfect for Thanksgiving

photo 4 (3)photo 1 (4)

My inspiration for this recipe came from Barefoot Contessa. I make these and keep them in a baggie or a container. Awesome, thanks Ina. These nuts make the perfect appetizers, no one who eats nuts can resist. I also like mine with a little “kick”, you can manage the heat on these.

ingredients:

vegetable oil

7 cups of nuts (you can break it up any way you want. You can do 7 cups of roasted mixed unsalted nuts or any other combination as long as they equal 7 cups. if you can’t find unsalted nuts, adjust the salt on this recipe as per direction below) 

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 tablespoons orange juice (fresh or container. fresh is always best (and one orange will do the trick,) but honestly no biggie.)

2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder–I use 2 teaspoons but if you really like them mild use a little less.

4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves (divide 2 tablespoons for now and 2 tablespoons for later)

4 teaspoons Kosher salt (also divided 2 for now and 2 for later. don’t add second 2 teaspoons of salt if you bought salted nuts)

Preheat oven to 350

Brush a sheet pan (prefer one with sides) generously with vegetable oil (use a brush, love the silicone brushes)

First, combine nuts, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, orange juice, and chipotle powder in a large bowl (I prefer a large metal bowl). Toss to coat the nuts evenly.

Add 2 tablespoons of the minced rosemary and 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt and give it a good toss (a large metal spoon works the best b/c it can get a little sticky with a wooden spoon.)

Spread nuts in a single layer on sheet pan.

Roast nuts for 25 minutes, stirring twice. You will want to take them out of the oven to stir them b/c they may slide off the tray. Use a metal spatula. Roast for the rest of the 25 minutes until nuts are glazed .

Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons of kosher salt (only if they were unsalted) and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of rosemary.

Toss well and set aside at room temp.

While they are cooling, stir them up a few times b/c they may stick together.

Taste for seasoning. They really don’t achieve full flavor until they fully cool. So you won’t know how spicy they are until they sit for a while. I’ve made these a million times and can tell you that this amount of chipotle has kick, but not psycho hot.

Serve warm, or let them cool. Put them in a container and serve whenever you like. They stay good for a long time.

*just a note: you can adjust salt, rosemary, and chipotle to your liking. I have recipe for Union Square Nuts and they don’t have chipotle and are also delish but I prefer these b/c I love the heat of the chipotle!

Enjoy!

Napa Noodle Salad

This one I got from a neighbor in Colorado, and it’s become a staple in the Kolen household in the summer. But it’s great all the time!

Napa Noodle Salad

4 cups sliced Napa Cabbage ( I cheat and buy the cabbage in a bag. It’s not always Napa but sometimes I don’t feel like chopping.  if you buy the bag, it’s fine, just use 1 whole bag. It’s more than 4 cups but it’s fine, and if all you can find is the cole slaw kind it’s Ok too, it will just have some carrots and some purple cabbage.

5 green onions (scallions) sliced very thin (green parts only)

Mix cabbage and green onions and refrigerate for a few hours (at least 2). This gives it a chance to meld and wilt a bit.

2 packages of Ramen noodles (It doesn’t matter which flavor you buy b/c you should throw away the flavor pack )you won’t be needing it for this salad.

handful of sliced almonds

1/2 cup sesame seeds (available in the spice aisle)

1/4 cup butter

Take the noodles (hard crunchy ones) and put in a large plastic bag. Bang noodles with a mallet or your fist (fist is fine) and just crack them up. They’ll be easier to work with. Add the almonds and sesame seeds and brown all together in the butter.

Dressing

1/2 cup sugar ( I know, but I never said I cook DIET)

1/2 cup salad oil (plain old vegetable oil will do just fine)

1/4 cup vinegar (I use white rice vinegar, which is available in Asian section of supermarket or just wherever the vinegars are.)

1 Tbsp. soy sauce (low sodium always)

Toss all together and Serve

*cabbage and onions need to meld and wilt a bit, so make sure to give them at least 2 hours in the fridge. The hard noodles should stay a little crunchy. Don’t burn–just brown–the ingredients until the butter gets a bit bubbly; not burnt. Be careful. While you’re browning the noodles with the almonds and sesame seeds, move them around with a wooden spoon so it all gets buttery.

I know this is fattening, but isn’t everything fattening so yummy??? And you’re not eating the whole thing, so enjoy!!!

Of course you can double up this recipe, it’s just a whole lotta cabbage to toss! As a side dish, this is a nice amount as is.

Serves 4 – 6 as a side dish

Yummy Pesto (super easy)

 

Yummy Pasta Pesto Prep

I have to give credit to my BFF Suki for this one. It is her recipe that I use. It is awesome and delish. Easy easy go-to for spring/ summer meals, although I’ve been known to make it anytime I see fresh basil.

Yummy PASTA Pesto

2 cups fresh basil

1/2 cup romano cheese (grated)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated)

1/2 cup pignolli nuts or use walnuts

1 cup extra virgin olive oil (use a good one)

1 – 3 tablespoons butter (hafta admit I use all 3; sometimes 2)

4 cloves garlic

freshly ground pepper

1 lb. Gemelli Pasta Noodles

Put all ingredients (except the pasta, of course!) into Cuisinart food processor ’til smooth.

I use gemelli pasta or any noodle that will let pesto hold on.

Cook pasta according to directions, and add pesto. Add a little at a time ’til you get the pasta looking (and tasting!) the way you like it. This recipe probably yields a bit more pesto than you’ll need, depending on how you like it. Unfortunately, pesto doesn’t last more than a day or so in the fridge without going an ugly brown. So make it and enjoy! It’s creamy and yummy. 

Can keep in the fridge, and again let it sit out before serving. It’s best at room temp.

Fresh Corn Salad

5 ears of corn

1 small red onion (diced) (if you don’t like a lot of onion, just use less)

3 Tablespoons good olive oil

3 Tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 pint of red grape tomatoes (cut in 1/2 or 1/4)

Instructions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes just to take the starch out. Drain and put into large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and make it turn bright yellow. Once the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob (if you keep it flat side down it is easier to cut). If you have a bundt pan, that is perfect for cutting corn into b/c the kernels tend to fly all over.

Next, add kernels to red onion, tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cut in some fresh basil.

Serve at room temperature.

Lemon Marinade (perfect for Chicken Breasts on Grill)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 – 5 small lemons) (2-3 large)

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tsp. Kosher salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

I use a large measuring cup to put all the ingredients into and use a small whisk to combine.

2 lbs Chicken Breasts (I prefer not too thick. Thin ones are good and are usually available. If not, ask the butcher to pound them.)

Let chicken sit in marinade overnight . I use a large baggie and squish it around. The longer it sits, the better. Before I put it on the grill, I usually put it into a glass Pyrex (easier to put on grill from Pyrex than baggie) and when it’s in the Pyrex I lightly sprinkle it with a little kosher salt, you’ll need to do this for a bit more flavor.

Put chicken on the hot grill and cook. Don’t overcook. Turn them so you get nice grill marks. They cook rather quickly–a few minutes on each side–especially the thin ones. Cut into one of the pieces if you’re not sure. These have to be watched on the grill. The thin cutlets go quickly, but I really do prefer them .

When they’re finished, put them on a platter, add some lemon slices, and serve! You can garnish with a few sprigs of fresh thyme if you’d like.  These are awesome leftovers next day served on top of any salad.

*something I discovered not too long ago was a grill pan. If you don’t have access to a grill or it’s raining and you don’t want to be out there grilling. I bought a really nice one and you get beautiful grill marks and the food tastes really good. Something good and worthwhile to buy.